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144 x~v ITi MANNING. S. C.. WE-I)NESI)AY, MAIRII;,189 A HORRIBLE STORY. WHAT A PARTY OF CONGRESSMEN SAW IN CUES. Tk V SpamIsh Ca= paign Mar Ted by Slaugh tersas Protel as Iod3n Massacrea-Th e Inaurgent Governmeut Firmly Establish ed Over a Greater Par. of the Island. A few weeks ago the New York Journal sent a commission to Cuba, consistine of United States Senators Money, Gallinger. Tnurston and Rep resentatives, Cummings and Smith to ascertain the true condition of affairs on the island and report to the people of the United States what they saw. The following is an extrac: from the report of the ccmmission: We went to Cubaexpecting to make allowance for exaggeraticn due to the intense strife and bitter passion there by engenered. We have returned convinced by versonal examirsation and observation of the bitter inadequa cy of language to tell the misery and horor of the situation. If the insur gents have waged a war of destruction against property the Spanish military authorities have in the past waged one of destru-:tion against property and another of extermination agairst the Cuban pecple. If the campaign of destruction is now less marked it is because the field of military operations has been swept bare. Hardly a human habitation is visible in a rural territory co exten sive with that of the six New England States. A few plantations heavily guarded by Spanish troops,yet paying tribute to the insurgent Government, grind out less than one-tenth the nor mal sugar crop of the island where three years ago luxuriant fields of cane and tobacco stretched unbroken for miles. The dense vegetation of a tropical wilderness has sprung up as rank, as wild as when Columbus dis covered America, to be as arduously conquored by the machete and the plough. From all sources, Spanish, Cuban and foreign, whether American or European, consuls or business houses, the figures practically agree that half the rural population of Cuba has dis appeared from the face of the earth. In the central and Western provinces, where the effect of General Weyler's order has been most severely felt, there are districts from which the whole population has been swept as if by pestilence, and of whose people less than one-fifth are today alive within the limits of reconcentration. Nor have the inhabitants of the towns and cities escaped. There the poorer classes have been placed nearly on a par with the reconcentrados by the privations due to the paralysis of war. Disease and starvation have everywhere done their awful work. Spain, too, has suffered in loss of life aswellasinpurse and prestige. Of the 250,000 troops which she has sent to Cuba, not more than one-half will ever see their native land agai. Hardly the fifth of her forces now in the island are tcday effective. The military hospitals are crowded. For the forces in the field no such thing as a medical corps is known. They are without tents or commis sary. The steamships to Spain take back more invalids than cifiet the rehtroons brought iadforevr invalid soldier returnea one is buried in a Cuban trench. The Spanish army is unpaid and dircouraged; it has lost the ean and morale indispensable to military success. Members of the Commission have brought back~ to the United States machetes bought from tne beltsof Spanish soldiers on the streets of Havana and Matanzas. Not a single important and success ful operation has marked the course of Spanish arms since the recall of Weyler, and the wet season will begin within six weeks, precluding further movements of critical importance un til Fall. Relatively the insurgents are stronger than ever, yet lack the strength and armament to deliver a final blow. Opportunity did not present itself to penetrate the insurgent lines, but there was no difficulty in getting in touch with men who are not only sympathizers with the cause of Cuban independence, but 'who themselve s are in constant communication with the Insurgent Government and mili tary leaders. From them it was learn ed that the Cubans were confident of being a'ble fo maintain their struggle indefinitely, and that there was a steady improvement of conditions within the territory which they con trolled practically without interfer ence from the Spanish forces. It was pointed out that General Go mez had maintained himself within a radius of fifty miles for months in a territory from which he could easily have been driven, had he been so weak or the Spanish as strong as the latter had claimed, and that the Provisional Government at Camaguey was- seem ingly as firmly planted as Blanco in his palace at Havana, yet it is appar ent that there is one large area of the island where the insurgents exercise permanent control Each in turn raids across a region several miles in extent. The tono graphy of the country makes it plain tznat only an overwhelming force and tireless pursuits could suppress forces far less numerous than the insurgents command. Any other would perish in the guerilla warfaie in which the Cubans have proven such sadepts. IMilitary termina:ion of the war by either Spanish or Cubans is ho~eless. Destruction, extermination and ex haustion seems the only immediate and unaided solution. In the mean while American property has been destroyed. American citizens have been maltreated, imprisoned, wounded and killed, and American commerce destroyed, Theg loss to America through the Cuban struggle is second only to that of Cuba anu Spain. Cuba had 1,700,000, in round numbers, when the insurrection broke out. -Remove the Spanish troops and it is doubtful if one million remain. The destruction of human life t. been terrific. Weyler's order of re concentration was preceded, accomn panied and followed by a slaughter of pacificos, men, women and cnildren, a brutal, unprovoked and merciless as an Apache massacre. That these murders tock placa principally at the hands of Spanish guerilla bands, half organized and wholly uncontrolle d, does not lessen Spanish responsibility Mor arming these Dan dits and turning them loose. 1t is esteL9td that 200,000O recon centrados are now in need of contin ued relief. This relief is being ex tended 'with marvellous rapidity from ican ngencies, but until full opportu nity is given thEes people to return to iheir country districts with strength to labor at least partly restored. and with tcols and seed to malce a crop, and must be continaous and unremit 11i g. _ ____ -THE MAINE INQUIRY. Report of the Board Arrives In Washing logton at Las?. The report of the Naval Board of Ioquiry into the Maine disacter was received in Washington at 9:35 Thurs day night. The four naval c tlcers who ha% e auarded it since its depart ure from Key West, were hustled at or ce into a carriage by an attache of the Navy Department and driven to the Ebbitt House. The party consisted of Lieutenant Commander Marix. Lieutenant John Hood, Lieutenant CArl Jungen, Pass ed Assistant Engineer Bowers. A T. Marix, a nephew of the judge advo cate. and Ship Carpenter He'.ms, of the Maine's ill-fated crew. There was an immense crowd waiting at the de pot when the train pulled in. The naval contingent avoidel the crush of citizens by alighting at the upper end of the platform and going out across the tracks. The party was met by Lieutenant Ward, of the Navy Department, who was the sole represeatative of Secre tary L:ng. He informed Commander Marix that the secretary would not re ceive the report tonight. Lieut. Hood carried the bulky document in a white canvas bag slung under his arm. It must have weighed ten or twenty pounds without its carrying case. That the whole party carrying the report was armed was demonstrated in a rather theatrical way just as they were about to get into the carriage. Some one ran against the end of the mysterious canvas bag in which the report was concealed. Q xick as a flash Lieuterant Hood's hand went to his hin and Lieutenant Jungen laid his hand on the butt of a revolver that was sticking from his side pocket. The movements were sufficien: to prevent further jostling. The report, in due pracess cf law, must first be delivered to the secretary of the navy, and this, according to all Drecedents, will be at the Navy De partment. It wiU then be submitted to President McKinley, unon whose decision its future migrations will de Dend. A REIGN OF TERROR. A Place Where Is Is Dangerous to Walk Unless Armed. The Charleston Critic says "a reign of terror is on among the laborers in the phosphate mines at Fetteressa, a small phosphate station about eight miles from the city, on the Savannah road. Bloody murders and assaults are of daily occurrences and it is not safe for an-yone to walk about in this neighborhood unless he is armed with a Winchester rifls or the like. Mr. John A. Hertz, of 105 Cannon street, who is the contractor of the Charles ton Mining Works, had the following to say about the lawless condition of affairs in that neighborhood: "Thurs day afternoon at about 1 o'clock a ne gro man was shot down and killed at Fetteresa by another negro." The particulars of the case he did not give, he went on to say that on last Satur day night two deadly assaults were made upon two colored men by color ed phosphate banc~s 02e of the men assaulted had his throat cut from ear to ear and may die at any moment. T'he other assault resulted in a man being shot in the head and will almost surely die from it. To quote Mr. Hertz: "Never in the history of the phcsphate mines has there been such a condition of affairs. These deadly feuds between the workmen are the direct outgrowth of whiskey. ?J-1 walk about among the laborers -A sell them whiskey by the glass iull and in this way the rows start. Every day there is some tragedy enacted at this place wich results in some one getting badiy injured. It is not safe far one to walk about unless he is heavily armed. Not one tenth of these affairs are known in the city." Only last Thursday a man named Joe Fishburne died at the city hospital from a gun shot wound received from an unknown man at this place. The killing Thursday makes two within two weeks and the thing is on the in increase, so it is said. A CONVICT SHOT TO DEA TH Four of it e i Escape.1 and One of Them Shot a Man. A special dispatch to the Augusta Chronicle from Jackson, S. C., sa about twelve o'clock Wednesday four conviets escaped from the chaingang, near Hawthorne. Mr. Ready, who was guarding, was nccked down, his arms taken away from him. Mr. Rsady was not seriously hurt. One of the cenvicts attempted to shoot him, but another prevented him doing so. While the convicts were making for the swamp Mr. Hampton Beaufort, one of the most vrominent young men of Hawthorne saw them, and suspicioned that they had escaped from their gang and started in pursuit. Mr. Beaufort was approaching last when one of the convicts turned and shot him in the face with buckshot, one shot lodged in his side. From re ports Mr. Beaufort is seriously hurt. News from there )aie Wednesday evening says that the doctors pro nounc. d his wcunads fatal but he wounded the negro in thelegs after he was shot. It was not long before there was a large cro wd gathered and began to seek the convicts. T wo of them were found and arrested and the life of one was not spared long. John Jackson the ring leader in all of the mischief, was shot into mince meat. Two of the convicts have not been found. One that was arrested said they were trying to make Augusta be fore night._ _____ The Official Becord. Chaplain Chadwick, of the Maine, as completed his mortuary report, wich shows that 257 men and t wo cfiers perished in the catastrophe, six sdccumbed to their in juries in the Sanamro hospital in Havana, one died on the Spanish transport Colon; 171 bc dies have been recovered from the wreck, of which 61 have been identified ; 16 have been buried in the Colon ce metery, and 11 at Key West. This is the official repcrt, made pub lic, after careful correction, for the first time. Democratic Committee. Chairman D. H. Tompkins has is sued a call for the Democratic state executive committee to meet in Colum ia on Apr~il 8. BLOWN UP BY A MINE TH!S WAS THE FATE OF THE BAT TLESHIP MAINE The E-.ird of E quitry U.e3 N-t F*2a tbe Relp-1sibI ty-Tke Sitrst 12 Vcry 50 .as-ActiveP;oparatfnsZit War BeIvg Pashed-Gi ext ExcitemeL- In Wasbingt- 2 The Court of irquiry appointed to investigate the cause of the Maine disaster has reported that the loss of the battleship was due to an outside explosion. The state department, by direction of the President. has cabled United States Minister Wocdford at Madrid to notify the Spanish govern ment of this conclusion. The Spanish government has cabled cifl-ially to Washington that. the Spanish naval commission holds the disaster to the Meine to be of internal origin. Tne commission finds that the Maine was blown up by an explosion from the outside, but is unable to fix the responsibility for the explosion. The court does not exDress an opinion as to the character of the explosive, but the testimony goes to show that it was a powerful submsrilne mine, the exact characte- of which is not deter mined by the testimony, though the belief was expressed that it was a ifloat ing submarise mine. There were two explosions, the court finds the first from the outside, and that et ol one of the smaller magazines. It was this result, expressed in detail and with the peecision of a court deeply conscious of its responsibility, togeth er with the evidence on which it was based, that occupied the 'attention of the cabinet throughout its extendtd sessions of the morning and afternoon. The government of Spain, it can be stated :ositively, is nct disposed to turn back the torpedo flotilla now pro ceeding from the Canaries and would be disinclined to consider a suggestion from this government tending to inter fera wita the disposition by Spain of her own naval forces. War prepara tion on an unprecedented scale is be ing hurried to completion by the war and navy department-, and the coun try practically is on awar footing. The foregoing gives the record of one of the most ev..tful days the na tional capital has seen sinca the close of the civil war. It was a day of pro foundly important action, of the deep est anxiety coupled with naval and military activity, one step following another in rapid succession. Repre sentative men of the administration, public men in all branches of official and congressional life, no less than the public in general, share in the ten sion to which the situation has been waught. There was no effort among the highest officials, nor indeed was it possible from what was clearly ap parent in the developments of the day, to minimize the situation. - Hardly less suggestive than the ap proach of the torpedo flotilla, was tne information received today by the highest military authorities that the Spanish government had hurried to completion extensive fortifications on the island of Puerto Rco,. lying just off Cuba, and the only Spanish pos session in this hemisphere other than Cuba. The exact character of those new defenses has been made known here, and they are being given weight with the military authorities as show ing the disposition of Spain. The order issued by the navy de partment during the day covered every branch of naval armament. T'he "flying squaoron"~ was definitely stablishel with Commodore W. S . Behley in - command. The squadron is to consist of exactly five ships. hose of the squadron will be the rack armored cruiser Brooklyn, the battleships Massachusetts and Texas and the cruisers Columbia and Min eapolis. Other ships which are, now or hereafter, at Hamptoa Roads, will not be of the fling squadron, but will belong to the Norta a.tlantic st a tion under Captain Sampson. The fying Equadron is to be a small com pact flees of the best ships in the navy, for quick service at any point along the atlantic. At the same tinie the North Atlantic station, under Captain Sampson, is to be further augmented. The cruiser incinnati, which left Port Antonio three days ago under sealed orders is to report at Key West and become a part of Captain Sampson's fleet. The gunboat Wilmington, also en route from Port Antonio, will likewise re port to Captain Sampson at Key West as will the gunboat Vicksburg, now at ampton R oads. The following ves sets compose the North Atlantic squad on: New York, Iowa, Indiana, Mian tonomoh, Fern, Puritan, Terror, Mar lehead, Montgomery, Castine, Nash ; ille. Helena, Wilmington, Vesuvius torpedo boats, Foote, Dupont, Erics son, Cushing, Porter. Winslow; tugs, [eyden and damoset, Late Friday the battleship Texas was rdered from Hampton Roads to the New York navy yard to repair her ma hinery for hoisting ammunition and uns. Favorable answers were received rom the New York naval militia of heir readiness on short notice to sup ply.oficers and~men to man the single arret monitors now called into ser ice. Orders were issued Friday to ave all the warships painted black, a :olor that is better adapted to hostili ties because the vessels will not atfford as good a target. r'ne President and cabinet advisers held two extended sessions Friday, one at 10:30 a. m. and another at 3:30) p. in., at which the Maine report was considered in detail. Members of tne cabinet stated after the meeting that never since the wrecking of the Musine hae -the situation seemed so ritical. A N or chern Oom primot The Springfield, Mass., Republi can pays the South the following cpiment: "'he South is receiv ing high praise from the Northern press for the unanimity with which its Senators and Representatives voted for the $50,000,000 appropriation for national defense. The South is the most interesting part of this country. It has more inherent poetry and ro mance than all the rest ot the land put together; its history contains the -ost impressive drama of modern times, and it has produced statesmen and soldiers as great as any in the English-speaking worla since William the Cot quaeror." Mighty warships. In the presence of the largest crowd ever assembled on a similar occasion, the first-class battleships Kearsarge and Kentucky were launched at the plant of the Newport News shipouild ing and Dry Dock Company Thurs day morning. Fully thirty thousand nperson witnessed the anching. HEADING THIS WAY. The Coming of the Spanish Torptdo Boats Considred Almost Hostile. Advices reached Washington eacly Thursday that the Spanish torpedo boats hsd sailed from the Canaries for Porto Rico, and from this moment the most energetic warlike measures fol lowed one anotber in constant succes sion. The movement of this ileet had been witched with the keentst inter est, as it was felt to involve serious nossibilities which might compel the United Slates government to protest against the movement as of a hostile character. Immediately upon the re ceipt of the official dispatch from one of our naval attaches abroad, briefly announcing the sailinZ of the fleet, the fact was made known to the Presi dent, and an earnest conference was held between him atd Secretary Ling and Assistant Secretary Roosevelt. The seriousness of the movement was fully considered, and the President was advised thit naval strategis's re garded it as essential that tbis torpedo fleet should not be allowed to reach Western waters. What, if any, con clusion was reached, is not known. Later in the day the Spanish minister, Senor Polony Bernabe, called at the State Department andspent sometime with Juoge Diy. It was naturally in ferred that the approach of the Span ish flotilla wss one c i the subjects re ferred to. Whether, however, there was any suggestiou against this move was not disclosed by either Judge Day or the Spanish minister, both of whom maintained the strictest reticence re gardicg their conference. STATE PRESS ASSOCIATION. The City of Greenville P.epnve i to We! come it In .Jl)y. A dispatch from Greenville to the News and Courier says: The meeting of the State Press Asscciation is the sensation of Greenville. Wednesday the local committee met and elected James T. Williams, chairman, and W. G. Sirrine, secretary. The fol lowing' committees were appointed: On Reception-James T. Williams, W. L. Mauldin. Dr. A. P. Montague, M. F. Ansel. W. E. Beattie, P. T. Hayne, L. W. Parker, Charles McAl lister, James H. Maxwell, D. C. Dur ham, A. B. Carpenter and A. G. Fur man. On Banquet-R. E. Allen, William Goldsmith, Jr., H. Endel, Dr. C. B. Earle. Wvn. G. Sirrine and J. H. Havnes. On Finance-W. E Beattie, S. C. Clyde, A. G. Gower, C. R. Jordan, A. G. Farman, Frank Hzmmond. P. T. Hayne and D. C. Durham, Jas. H. Morman. The Convention will meet in Beat tie's Hall on July 5, at 8:30. Ad dresses of welcome will be made by Mayor James T. Williams, Col. Hoyt and Col Orr. Responses will be made by Mr. Aull. president, and by J. C. Garlington. On Thursday the Ass ciation will go to Paris Mountain. The same night they will be entertain ed with a banquet. During the meet ing a number of subjEcts will be dis cussed. An address will be made by George B. Cromet, of Newberry, dur ing the meeting. SEND IN THE DOCUMENTS. The Confederate Rotls and The Work of Completing Them. The followirng in regard to the Con federate rolls ot the State wa~s issued I'hursday: The general assembly, at the recent session, provided for the completion of the Confederate rolls. The undersigned proposes to bring the work to a close by Oct. 1 next, when he will proceed to consolidate the returns and report the results to the general assembly of 1899. Pending the closing of the record, another appeal is made to all the Con federates to whom Gen. Farley en rusted -rolls for revision to return them promptly to this ofice-revised or not revisea, This State has done its part in the elf art to prciect the record of its sol iery in the war between the States. If the record shall, by October next, be found incomplete, the responsibili ty for historic ingatitude and injus ice to a portion of our Confederate rank and file, will fall upon those who have neglected the obvious duty of sending in the rolls of their respec ive commands. In addition to the Con federate rolls, the rolls of the State reserves ara call ed for, and of all other military odies who served the State, 1861l-65. The contribution of historic war ata is invited. The papers of this State are ru' est ed to extend this notice. JoHN~ P. TuboMns. etoring Uot~ou. The most practical plan that has yet een suggested for giving relief to the otton growers, to protect their crops from being sacrificed, has recently een inaugurated in North Carolina, by establishmng a bounded ware house, where cotton may be stored something on the samte principle as distillers de osit their products. in this way the planters can store their crops at a less cs: and with better protection than he old plan, and hold it until ready o selI, in the meantime receiving a iberal. advance on its value at a low ate of interest. Wil Abandon thle Wreck. The r avy department has arranged for the pracficai withdrawal of all its aval officers at Havana and the abandonment of the wreck of the ill fated battleship Maine. Capt. C. D. Sigsbee, and other oilicers of the Mine, who have been at Havana with the wreck, will return soon. Al though it ls not finally settled, it is more than prob~able that the iFern also will return tothe United States as son as it is cetermined that nothing more is to be gained by her presence here. __________ Riddled With Bullets. A dispatch from Manltrie, Ga., says Jim Alien, a negro, under arrest for n attempted rape on Mrs. Ingalls, Wednesday confesoei his guilt. Sheruff Fisher tried to escape with him to Macon fir safe keeping, but a crow d of about 2U men took himn abcut 3 o'clock Wed neoday afternoon and rid dlWd hinm with baliets. Eetow /.ero in Kausa,. A special from Topeka, Kansas, says. The severe blizzard which is sweeping over the West has probably destroyed the fruit crop of Kansas. Tne cold is intense and at many points in Western Kansas the mercury has resererl belonazeo. IMPORTANT MATTERS. SEVERAL OPINIONS FROM THE AT TORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE. Certain A(tt are Constru:d-)ucstiojns as to Pay cf Suprvisorr. Fees of County Treasurers ana Other Matters-Of Inter est to M avy. At the request of the comotroller general several legal opinions of much concern to certain county and city officials were recently issued from the office of the attorney general. Tbese opinions. although prepared in certain srecific cases. are general in their ap plication, and are given in full below. Here they are: CITY ASSESSORS' DUTIES. Dear Sir: In your zommunication of recent date you ask the qxestion if the chairman of the boards of assessors of cities and towns is a rrember of the county board of equalization. The act approved March 2, 1897, provices for the appointment by the governor of three electors to act as a board of assesnrs in cities and towns of more than 500 inhabitints. It fur ther provides that the duties hereto fore devolved upon the township board of commissiorers, as assessors, shal' be devolved upon the board of asiessors within the limits nf their re spective towns and cities. It does not express.y constitule the chairman of the special board a member of the county board o' equalization, but all the cities of the township board of cmmissioners within t e limits of the city or town, for which the board is appointed, are devolved upon the special board, and one of these duties is to act as members of the county board of equalizatioa. By implication then the chairman of the board is made a member of the county board of equalization. I am, therefore, of the opinion that the chairmen of the boards of assess ors for cities and to .vns are members of the'countv boards of. qualization. Yours very truly, C. P. 'l vnsend, Assistant Attorney General. SUPERVISORS' PAY. Dear Sir: Your letter, with that of Mr. Timmerman enclosed, relating to pay of supervisors of registration, had attention. - The question submitted is whether Mr. Timmerman is entitled to compen sation as a member of the o1d board of registration for the month of Jan uary, 1898 Section 7 of the registration act cf 1898 provides: "The compensation of each and every member of the board of registration to be appointed under section - of this act shall be $250 for the year 1896 and $225 for the year 1897, and until the supervisors of reg istration to be appointed under sectirn 4 have been appointed and shall qual ify." As to the pay of the board of regis tration to be appointed under section 4, it provides that the compensation shall oe $200 for each election year and $100 for each year payable quar terly. It seems to me that the act is plain and needs no const;ruction. The mem bers of the old board are to be paid $225 for the year 1897 and the time elapsing after ward until the appoint ment of the members of the new board. Then the salary is to be paid quarterly, which would preclude the idea of any monthly payment of the same. Besides, under section 8, no duties are required to be performed by the old board after the first day of January, 1898. I am, therefore, of the opinion that Mr. Timmerman is not entitled to compensation as a member of the old board ef registration for the month of January, 1898. Very respectfully, C. P. Townsend, Assistant Attorney General. TREASURER'S FEES. Dear Sir: The letter of Mr. L. E. Parler, submitted to this office asaing if county treasurers are entitled to $1 for issuing tax executions in addition to commissions allowed by law, has had due consideration. Section 3i8 of revised statutes pro - vides: "The treasurer for any tax warrant issued shall have from each defaulter $1." The se t fixing compen sation of county treasurers allows commissions on taxes collected up to armaximum amount. This commission is taken out of the taxes. The cost for issuing the warrant comes out of the defaulting taxpayer, and is the com pensation allowed for this - specific work. I am of the opinion that Mr. Parler, as county treasurer, is entitled to the fee of $1 for issuing any execution, when collected from the defaulting taxpayer, in addition to his commis sion allowed by la w. Yours very truly, C. P. To wnsend, Assistant Attorney General. THE 5TATE LOSES, Judge 8l1monton Decides the Phos~phate oase Against Ho~r. Judge Simrno2~o rendered his decis oa Tuesday in the case brought by the State against tae FArmers Mining company for $12.000 royalty on a lot of rock which the prescribea royalty had never been paid. The judge deci ded that the State has not a prior claima on the lot of 5,000 tons of reck at the mines, save insofar as the royalty in~ this particular lot is concerned. The Bank of Charleston loaned the com pany $5,000 on this lot of rock, and Judge dimonton is of the opinion that the State cannot clia and more of it that tne royalty on it. The claim of the attorney general that so much of the rock as is necessary to r-eimburse the State for the large qpantities of rock which were tmed and sold with out the royalty having been paid, could be se:zed by the State, is denied by the court- The State wilt thus lose considerable money for having allow ed the company to dispo;se of its pro duct without having paid the pre scribed royalty before the reek was shipped. A Gallar.t Des d. E:osign R asc-ce S-pear of the Mont gomnery, now lying in the harbor of Key \Vest, jumped overboard late the other night in resp-onse to the crs - Man over board-* lHe was in fuli uniform, bit af r a few minutes found the luckless sailor, who was unable to swim, and vwas being rapidly borne away from the ship. After a hnrd struggle young Spear brought the al most lifeless man back to tne Mont gomery, and both men were hauled in more dead than alive. It took sev m~ral hours to reive thenplucky oflicer. CZLD COMFORTS FOR SPAIN. r -o .t1 -f lb-- BrItish P -58 -.3 T1' MaizE Report. Bliow we print some extracts from the English press on the report of the board of inquiry in the olowing up of the Maine. The London Daily Mail which re gards war between the Unitea States snd Spain as inevitable says: "Amer ica will naturally triumph and earn the world's praise for ridding Cuba of rathles4 tyranny, but she will fight at a diswi vnotage if compelld to ight immtdia 'ely." Tne London Daily Graphic says: It is the duty of both sides to obtain an independent investigation. To -;end assistance to the non-combatants in Cuba is to force war. President McKinley should either help the Sa gasta cabinet make home rule a reali ty or should give Spain njtics to quit." The London Morning ':ost says: "The gravity of the Cub &n question is enormously increased ty the Amer ican report, because, even if no distinct indictment of the Spanish government is included. the reserve hitberto main tained will be abandoned and Spain will be charged by the American pa pers with treachery and malice, while the American people will be excited to fever point. Spain, however, has already borne so muc that conflict may still be avoided, but if her object bas only been to gain time, it may be that she is now in a position to adopt a more martial attitude." The London Daily Telegraph says: "Supposing tte American report to be subta atiate:, there can be no question that S5pain is primarily responsible, as any country would be it a similar catastrophe occurred along its coast line. If the Spanish authorities were ignorant of the position of the subma rire mines, their ignorance is culpa ble. If they were aware and omitted to warn their guests, their pOsition is still less defensible. Tne report adds fuel to the flame. If the task of dip lomatists and statesmen was arduous before, it is ten times more difficuit now." The London Daily Chronicle, after expressing a doubt whether the Span ish inquiry has been conducted as carefuliy as the Americaa, the report of whose commission, it says, is "in harmony with all the probabilities of the case," prozeeds to review the principal aspects of the question. -The patience of the Washington government," says the Daily Chroni cle, "and the calm, pacific policy of the President have been beyond all praise. Had the people of the United rStates been polled on the question, war would have been declared before now, not, as has been falsely suggest ed, on account of financial and com mercial interests, but on grounds of humanity and because of tne intolera ble stench of ithis open sore close to the borders of the great republic. But it is evident that the time for action has arrived. President MaKinley must take such steps as to challenge in the most direct way Spain's right to murder her revolted colonists any longer. If she attempts to resist the provisioning of starving Cubans from American ports, war taere wid and must be, quite apart from any treach ery to the American warsnip. De spite all rumors, it is quite certain that Spain will have no alies and the result will be the liberation of Cuba." etaistics oL Fabi~tc dchools. According to the latest figures which can De obtained, the number of pupils enrolled in the pubic schools of the United States amounts to 14. 379,078, or nearly 20 per cent of the nation's population. Out of 400,325 teachers employed, 130,369 are males and 269,956 females. The average monthly salary paid to male teachers is $47.37; the average monthJy salary paid to female teachers is $40.24. The number of public school houses in the United States is 240,968, and the value of all the public school property ag gregates $455,948,164. 'The cost of public school educatiton in the United States ner pupil is $18.92 annually. A Bll He Th.f The Saltkehatcbie correspondent of the Walterboro Press and Standard says on Saturday, 2Marchi 12, a negro named Caesar Smiley hired with Capt. W. T. Spencer to plow, in the after noon be got a horse and wagon to go over near Yemassee for his things and mns;.ad of returning drove on do wn in Kane's Neck. Beaufort county, and sold the horse to another negro named easar J. Thompson, tore the wagon to pieces, hid some in the house, some in and some under a low corn house. Trail, was followed closely, things found and brought back Monday af ternoon. 'l LeavcHavana. A dispatch from Key West says the mest significant development that followed the announcement of the Maine report was the sudden sailing Friday aiternoon of the lighthouse encer Mangrove for Havana. The Mangrove was lying gaietly at the dock, loading buoys, den orders :ame about 3s o'clock Friday after oon for her to proceed with all haste ~o Hiabana and to take on board all he America offcials in that city with tae exception of Consal General Auamer~ Democrat l'ae.tel. Another Democrat was unseated by he House last Wednesday R. T. Lhorp was given the seat from the Fourth Virginia distric t. Sidney 1P. Eppes, who obtained the certificate of election, was unseated by a s:r-ict par y vote. Mr. Throp was given the seat by a vote of 151 to 130. The Re publicans, without a break, voted for Lbrop and the Democrats and Popu ists, with the exception of Mr. How ard, of Mlabama, a Populist, voted for A Father I- als Hls son. A spfcial from Columbus, Ga.. says: Oharles Yield shot and killed bis son? Richard at 1 o'clock Thursday afternoou. The shooting took place at Field's residence and was done with a 38S -calore pistol. Field is 65 years of age anid claims he shot bis son in ef defense. A fter kiliirg h is son het threw the bcdy out in the yard and. left it there while he went to give himself up to the sheriff. Many L'.ves Laer in Wre.cks. A dispatch from London says snow artd sleet is falling in various parts of tie Unitad Kingdom while heavy ales are sweeping the coasts and oaus ing vessels to seek shelter. Seven men went down with the trawler Nelly off Aberdeen. From Marseilles comes the report that the French steamer Ly-die has SERVED HiM R:GHT. A Negro w1hose Mcath Caused Sim to Gat a Whipping. Tuesday night. Walter Beard, a young negro living on Mr. R. S. danna's place in Bethesda township, was taken from his brother's house and severely beaten by certain parties in the township, who charge him with using some threatening language which if he said it stamps him as a beast. Bcard, who has the repata tion of being a thief and braggadocio, several days ago while spouting his views on the war question was report ed to have said: -1 wish war would come. We negroes would hide in the swamps until all the white men had left the c >untry; then we would ki1l from the cradle to the grave. I would paint every stump in this county red with the brains of their babes, and ravish their daughters for pastime.' This report traveled like wild-fire, and Tuesday night two men came to his brother's house, where Beard had fled on hearing that the white people were in flamed at his fiendish threats, and commanded bim to come out, or they would kncck the door down, Beard was pers.aded by his brother to go cut and see what they wanted. The masked men secured him and led him apart from the house, and at a whistle signal from one of them, a crowd of men hurried from a cluster of bushes near by. Gathering hold of the negro they dragged him to the nearest woods, where they stripped and whipped him soundly. We have no heart to condemn the act of this mob, because if there ever was a scoundrel who deserved such a visit he is the man. He ought to thank the fates that he was not swung up by the neck.-Rcck Hill Herald. FORTY PERSONS DROWNED. By t'ie Upsetting of a Bark In the PactIc Ocean. Upon the arrival of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company's steamer Santa Rosa from San Diego at San Francisco Tuesday the news was received of an other accident indirectly attributable to the Alasan gold excitement which is believed to have cost the lives of forty passengers and s3ilors. Capt. Alexander, of the Santa Rosa, report ed that early Tuesday morning while nine miles off Point Bonita, at the mouth of the Golden Gate, he sighted a derelict bottom up. The tug Witch was immediately dispatched to the point indicated and found the derelict to be the bark Helen W. Almy, Capt. Hogan, which sailed hence for Cop per River with twenty-seven passen gers and a crew of thirteen on Sunday last. The bark lay on her starboard side with her stern low down in the water, her deck hamper badly wreck ed and several plunks of her hull washed loose by the seas which broke over her. While there were no signs of boats among the wreckage, it is not believed that her passengers and crew escaped by putting cff from the vessel in them, as there has been a very hea7y sea for several days past. Fur thermore, no word has been received from the survivors if any exist, al though the derelict was sighted with in ten mile3 of shore, and tully I orty eight hours haye passed since the wreck occurred. According to the tue boat men there ws a pretty stiff breeze when the Aluv sailed out of Golden Gate on Sunday last, and by noon it was blowing a gale. There was a heavy sea running, and it is supposed that some time during the nigtst she was struck by a squall and turned turtle. H E CAPTURED MERRIT T. A Confederate captain who Took the Ma' .jor General Prisomer. There is an ex-Confederate officer in Knoxville, Tenn., who had the honor during the civil war to cap ture Wesley H. Merritt, now general commanding the department of the South, and in case of war with Spain, likely to be one of our leading military officers. Col. James C. Malone, a prominent cavalryman, was the captor of General Merritt. It was during the conapaign in West Virginia in 1862, and in the neighborhood of Cheek Mountain where the incident occurred. Gen. :Rast had been ordered to attack a strong force of Federals on the moun tain, and the First Tennessee regi ment of Maney's brigade, "Lorin's division, was waiting orders to ad vance. Col. Malone was at that time a lieutenant of the Rock City Guards, a company which had gone out from Nashville. While drawn up the com pany suddenly saw, not a hundred yards in front of them a federal en gineering oflizer ride uo alone. His capture was easily effected as he was completely surprised, not having any idea that the Confederate's were near. He was very much discomfited at his mishap, and grumbled excessively at ais bad luck. He was sent to Rich mond, with other prisoners and Cal. Malone did not knorr his subsequent war career. An Alu-Round Bascal. Several days ago a young man giv ir~g his name as R. M. Cary was ar rested at Richmond, Va., and sent to jadl for sixteen months on four charges of obtaining money under false pretences on baa checks. A tele gram received Tuesday from the chief jf police of Plymouth, Ind., by the Richmond autnorities says: "Party of name of R. M. Cary has been circu lating forged checks on H. E. Buck, of this city, for the past thirty days. You undountedly have the right may. Letter will follow with full particu lars." A telegram from Piakerton's Detective Agency in Chicago says: "Man under arrest in' your city for passing checks on P4ymouth state Bank is a dangerous farg-~-. wanteid ln many cities. Piease sr-e inat he is held. Our New York cilice will also :ommunicate with you. Many se11tug Liquor. Thursday the State dispensary au thorities sent up to the United $tates revenue cilize and obtained a complete ist of the people in this~ ate holding Unitea S:ates retail liquor licenses at this time. The list shows that :here are 491 such licenses outstanding. Charlestonians held a gocd proportiin of them. These uigures are exclusive of the licenses held'. by the county dis pensaries a ud it is said represent the Lumber of original package and blind tiger people in the State. All Hands Loat. A cablegram has been received at Brunswick saying that a Spanish bark, :ommnanded by Captain Juan Font, was found drifting bottom up in tihe MIeditmrnemn sll on board lost. THE MAINE DISASTER WILL BE TREATED AS AN INCIDENT BY MCKINLEY And No Demand Will be Made upon Spain in ConnectioD Therewith-IntervenUon In oubt on Humanitarian Grounds Now Avowed Program of the Preaidett. The President said to several of his visitors Thursday, in discussing the situation, that he would do every thing consistent with the honor and dignity of the country to avert war, and he still believed war could be averted. He also said that he believed the gov ernment of Spain was as anxious for peace as we were. but, at the same time, he did not hesitate to admit the gravity of the situation. The Presi dent frankly acknowledges that he be lieves the report of the board of inqui ry will find that the Maine was blown up from the outside. His program has been definitely decided. It is his purpose to treat the blowing up of the Maine as an incident. The report of the board will be sent to Congress with a very brief message, relating the events leading up to that point and informing Congress that the facts con tained in the report have been cabled to Madrid te be laid before the 4pan ish government by Minister Wood ford. No demand will be made upon Spain, but the laying of the facts be fore the Spanish government will bs equivalent to calling upon Spain for an explanation and such action as he may deem proper. It is the purpose of the House leaders to refer the re port and message to the committee on foreign affairs, without debate, and to this purpose it is believed the Demo crats of the House have acquiesced, reserving the right to demand action if a report from the committee is too long delayed. Much will then depend upon Spain response; but there are those close tothe President who.believe that from the time the report is sent to Congress:it will drop out as a factor in the situation. The second part of the President's program removes the Maine question and involves intervention on humani tarian grounds within a week or ten days after the report of the board goes to Congress. In will be intervention to relieve the starvation in Cuba, and upon Spain's acquiescence in or ob jection to this act will depend peace or war. A prominent member of the House said that in his opinion the next two weeks would determine which it would be. Such information as exists here leads those close to the President to believe that the Spanish government vill go to any length it dares to prest'rve peace. The queen regent is especially anxious to prevent war, and it is believed the ministry will go just as far as it can without jeopardizing its own existence and the survival of the present Spanish dy nasty. A MAMMOTH OFFICIAL FRAUD. Govarnment Clerk Cheats People Out of Three lHundred Thousand Dollars. Information has reached the Gov ernment through a number of bank. at St. Paul, Minn., that during the past year these and other near by banks have been made the victims of colossal frauds through the suspected collusion of Government clerks connected with the commission having in charge the improvements on the upper-Mississippi River. Full details of the affair have not yet reached the Government, but the statements submitted by the banks in dicate that $300,000 or more has been procured from them through fraudu lent time checks for services never performed. Copies of some of these time checks are said to be signed by J. H. Southall, chief clerk of the United States engineer's office at St. Paul, and are dated at different times during the year 1897. Others, it is understood, are dated in 1896. How the banks came to be imnposed upon to the extent indicated and why the checks have been withheld until this time cannot be even conjectured. It is understood that the banks will make a claim for reimbursement, but the law is said here to be clearly against this contention. The Government will begin a searching investigation at once into the whole matter. Cut This Oat and Save it. We are often asked how many times land must bs advertised against tress passers to make it legal. Here is the bill as amended by the recent Legisla ture, which settles that question: "Ev ery entry upon the lands of another after notice from the owner or tenant prohibiting the same, shall be a mis demeaor, and be punished by fine not to exceed $100 or imprisonment with hard labor on the public works of the County not exceeding thirty days. Provided, that whenever any owner or tenant of any lands shall post a notice in four conspicuous places on the borders of any land prohibiting entry there, and shall publish once a week for four consecutive weeks such notice in any newspaper circula~ting in the county where such lands are situate, a proof of the posting and publishing such notice within twelve months prior to the entry shall be deemed and taken as' notice conclusive against the person making entry as aforesaid, for hunting or fishing." State mitc~ia Will be Ca11ed. R epresentative Marsh, chairman of the house committee on the militia, called upon Secretary Alger Wednes day and urged taat in the event of hostilities, thae first recourse of the government for soldiers be the state militia, which should be invited to volunteer for the country's defense. Secretary Alger was much interested in the arg.uments made by Mr. Marsh, and, whuie not committing himself on that soiject, seenmed to regard the suggeoticns made b~y him as practica ble. ___________ Or der1 dInto dervice. Secretary L ong determined Wednes :iy to order the double turreted moni ~ors Puritan and Terror to Key West, where they will reinforce the Equad con in those waters. He also aeter nined to bring into service tne eight single turreted manitors at League [sland navy yard, Philadelphia, two of which will be sent to Boston, two to New York. Southern BaptIa: oonvention Preparations for the great Southern Baptist convention, which is to be held in Norfolk.beginninlg May 6. are rapid ly going forward. Every effort be ng put Zorth to make the event one of he greatest this city has ever seen and >ne of the greatest conventions ever Wald by ihe Bontist denomination.